Phoenix
by Eyespye
Summary: Mostly AU. In a time of crisis and bloodshed, the Magic Knights and their companions make a fatal error, bringing about a much different, bitter conclusion.


Phoenix

A Magic Knight Rayearth Fanfic by Eyespye

Disclaimer: Egads. I do not own it, boys and girls. I don't. I _wish_ I did, especially since I would have the artistic skills that belong to the legendary CLAMP. But I don't. It's copyright a whole lot of people and companies, and I belong to none of them. This is my way of learning to live with it.

Warning!: I have no idea where this is going, or what is ahead. However, I can guarantee that there will be violence to a certain degree of gore, and people are going to swear like sailors. If it's required, I may even have to up the rating, but we'll see what will happen as time progresses. 

Random Pre-Notes: Alright, first of all, this is based on the anime. Thus, Mokona is not the Creator, Eagle and Presea both died, and that big ugly blue thing called Debonair existed. For once, I would love to write something based on the manga. It just doesn't work for me. Believe me, I've tried. The whole idea for this came from playing far too much Chrono Cross over the summer. (...damn, I don't own that either.) It was basically an idea of viewing time as going on in a pattern of death and rebirth, death and rebirth, and so forth. I think the Dead Sea scared me into it. Of course, that comment just went over the heads of _every single person_ who has not played CC. Oi. Alright, I'm just going to let you read now. :P.   


Chapter One: Crash and Burn 

  


Shidou Hikaru shivered despite a nearly guaranteed victory. The monstrosity built on fear that was Debonair reared its ugly self above them, the three Knights joined together in one combined Mashin. Umi and Fuu were ready, she felt it drift in spiritual waves, making her feel slightly dizzy and light of heart. 

Rayearth was ready. The fire coursed freely, and Hikaru could feel the violent tremors of adrenaline she had never known the spirit to possess. Everyone was ready, it seemed, ready to restore happiness to the world where the will ruled everything.

But was she?

She loved Cephiro dearly, as well as its inhabitants. Her feelings even went as deep as…She blushed at the mere thought of a romance. Even through caring with every facet of her heart, would she be strong enough? The three Magic Knights fighting in the same being with combined strength and willpower, were they the ultimate team? They had stopped a world's destruction and started it indirectly. They had thought they had stopped evil.

But could you stop _fear_? Was it something you simply destroyed, beat down and leave for dead? Sure, a fear could be conquered; it was natural. But did it stay destroyed forever? Surely it could return.

Hikaru shivered again, and the most intense wave of sheer fright found its way into her heart.

Lightning split the darkness of the sky, starless, without moonshine. There was little light to guide the eye across a bleak landscape.

  


Lantis watched the shattered skies of Cephiro with a wary eye, looking for any signal of the Magic Knight's success. He knelt on a fragment of the castle's many crystal spires, the only one who dared go outside. 

Another chunk of the rocky earth broke away, smashing into a tower with devastating effects. He could only hope that everyone was safe inside their gilded prison. The land was broken, the scarce plots that surrounded the palace all that remained between life and destruction.

And, for a split second, the swordsman was terrified. Everyone seemed to be. No matter what they were told, what they said, no matter how hard they tried to mask our overrule it, every inhabitant huddled with bated breath and concern; concern for their own existence. Though the legendary girls were held with high regards, there was doubt that they could truly win.

He would have scoffed, mentioned something, if it hadn't been the same for him. Lantis could not deny the fact that he too, worried about their chance of triumph. It was selfish of him to think in such a way; he should have been more concerned for the Knights, rather than his own existence. 

Was it selfish to worry for oneself? After all, it was more of a concern for his country.

At least that was what he told himself.

  


Inside the crumbling castle, a little girl stood up, tears forming saltwater streams along her cheeks. She spoke of confidence and trust, and called her friends to aid her. They did.

And the doubt grew.

  


Debonair stood in a fit of violent cackles, watching as the dented Mashin hauled itself up on dirty footing. Hikaru sighed heavily, feigning her bravery, just as the courage provided by people inside the crystal palace was. She readied herself and charged the demon, sword drawn and ready to strike. Debonair countered with razor-sharp threads of shadow that cut and tore and pushed against them.

An adjoined war cry rose from the three, and they were close, closer, closer still. The sword in her hands changed, went up in a bitter melding of light and flame-

And went out.

The blade flickered; died completely, and Hikaru found herself holding the same weapon, cold and abandoned.

Caught completely off guard, she was astonished to find the darkness slicing through Rayearth's midsection. The scream bubbled over her lips involuntarily, coming only before the small current of blood. Umi and Fuu seemed no better off; their weeping cries were painfully obvious to her now acute senses.

The Mashin doubled over and collapsed onto its front, and in an explosion of multicolored flame, burst apart. Hikaru still lay against the ground, feeling nothing, but sensing it all. There was no Debonair. The other Knights were dead or dying beside her. The NSX took an abrupt nosedive, and it, too, was engulfed by heated fire. Out of the corner of her eye, planes of the palace melted away as though sugar, and the land seemed oil-coated, for even it burned. 

Then, in a merciful collision of fuel and flame, the entire world seared.

And she wondered why she could still hear the screaming.

  
  


Somewhere within a dark void, a pale figure kneeled, reminiscent of the princess who had once served the combusted world. Every feature, every aspect of the being was ivory, a pale, snowy color that held no true pigment. Eyes that seemed sightless stared into the emptiness, a shadow that not even the pure aura could penetrate. A rip in the darkness opened, revealing only a figure that would meld perfectly. Ebony cascaded as the folds of a dress, the waves of hair, the depths of irises, the only distinguishing factor between flesh and eye the dusky grey that shaded skin. 

The two stared at one another for a very long moment, a pregnant pause for glares and cool expressions to change, meld with other emotions that became one clean plate. 

Then, finally, "I win," the darker murmured, an unseen smirk pulling at her lips. 

"No. No, you don't," her opposite replied sharply, pearly irises glaring defiantly. "Nobody won. Don't you get it? It's all gone!"

Slender, nearly invisible shoulders rose and fell in a sharp shrug. "Who knows? Maybe I wanted it that way." The luminous woman made as though to lunge for her darker counterpart, abruptly cut off by an angered bellow. 

"As your cousin, might I kindly inquire; what the hell are you doing?!" The twin faces of Cephiro turned to look at the red figure that had addressed them. 

"Oh, yay. The fucking cavalry calls. What are you talking about, Fahren?" Black teeth chewed upon an equally colored fingernail, the ripples of energy contorting with the slight movement. 

"This!" Barked the crimson spirit, his arms waving about in erratic circles. "This is what I'm talking about!" As the words escaped into the void, whatever psychic flesh there was upon the limbs vanished, along with muscle and most of the bone, leaving empty space where Fahren's arms had once waved. "See? What did you do to my country? To me?" 

The Dark Cephiro shrugged yet again. "You got yourself into it, letting your playing pieces get stuck in the game." 

"Lay off with the stupid game already! You cheated! You got him to pull up!" Her much lighter twin countered, a nerve having finally been struck. 

A snort. "I did no such thing. You're the cheater." Fahren's eyes rolled, and he finally lashed back with a sharp retort.

"That's it with this. I've called in auntie. She's gonna kick your sorry asses." 

"I shall do no such thing, Fahren…" The darkness opened once more, barely allowing a slender, bittersweet figure to pass into it. For an 'aunt' it seemed much more youthful, teenage features melding upon a golden face. With a sigh, the woman sat in midair, orange tassels of a faded dress folding away from slender legs, half of which were no longer existent. 

"Auntie!" Squeaked Fahren. "Your legs are missing!" 

Chizeta crossed her knees and jumped slightly, though she held her position, letting her copper eyes drift downwards. "So they are." She looked back to the neutral apparitions. "May I ask what's going on here?" 

Dark Cephiro shrugged lightly, even as another masculine voice intervened from what appeared to be a corner. 

"That's what I'd like to know." The dark blue form sauntered into view, mechanical in appearance with a human gaze. "Hello cousin," he said absent-mindedly, nodding in Chizeta's direction. 

"Autozam," she returned quietly. 

The spirits made an odd polygon, nearly circular but ever shifting in the ripples of black. 

"Look. It's all your own faults, so don't go trying to pin this on me." The dark one's tone was cold. "If anyone, blame her-" she jabbed her thumbnail at the twin light- "for making you play." 

Chizeta's lip curled suddenly, and she steepled her fingers, the hazy nails forming a sharp arch. 

"I really don't care about your game or whatever it's supposed to be, 'kay, doll? I'd love for you to tell me why I don't have a planet anymore, let alone some missing monarchs."

Fahren sent a smug, defiant glare in the direction of the two troublemakers.

The quieter Light Cephiro brushed at her whitewashed curls slowly. "I wish I knew. I'd fix it if I could. But it seems that He's left."

"Little bastard!" Squealed Fahren, restrained from lunging by a thin snake of butterscotch that originated from a puffed sleeve. 

"Calm!" His 'aunt' barked, losing the gentle air she had held so recently. She left her position in midair to move across the darkness, though no spirit was on the same level as the other, as there was no floor. She seemed to pace, though it was uncertain, as a great deal more of her legs had vanished. Autozam moved to place a hand on Fahren's shoulder- the only part of his arm that remained completely intact-, but even as that happened, the joints of his fingers snapped and deteriorated. Chizeta winced and sat above the apparent ground once more, even as her calves vanished completely.

"This sucks." Fahren mumbled, pouting and looking for the whole world as though he wished to cross his arms. For someone so ancient, so ethereal, he seemed childish as he stared into the void. "I just want to know why I'm fading."

"Want to know my take on it?"

They turned in unison at the slight explosion, though the smoke dissipated so easily into the empty surroundings. Another young woman settled in the remains, still black and devoid of landscape or essence. Her green aura was strong and did not fade, only tapered away with the smoke that curled faintly from the cigarette between her lips. 

"Oh, Gaea. Been several centuries since we last saw you, hasn't it?" Dark Cephiro spat snidely, and her sneer was met easily by the emerald apparition.

"That's not my name anymore. I suggest you don't use it." She turned away to face the others, verdant curls spilling over her lit shoulders. "I think," and at this the Earth spirit tipped her ashes in the direction of the screen in which Light Cephiro had just watched the death of a world, "that you're not done yet. The two of you do not fade as they do, obviously you have some purpose left."

Fahren wavered a bit and his rapidly receding shoulder twitched. "Please, tell us something we don't know." Red pupils dilated and followed her condescending shrug.

"I just don't think you're being told the whole story." The cigarette butt spiraled in a hazy field of green, striking darkness and dissipating into oblivion. 

"What, praytell, is the whole story?" Autozam questioned, voice unusually cool. 

"Funny you should ask."

And once again, the void split, though it did so violently, as though a page had been ripped from the never-ending story that was existing. 

"For crying out loud," Fahren moaned begrudgingly. "Who is it this time?" As he set sight upon the newest arrival, however, his snide tone faded into a small 'meep', and he rushed to cower behind Chizeta, who had already politely averted her eyes from the spectacle before them. 

The first man was colored normally, with pale skin and green eyes and clothed in gold. Beside him stood a boy as crippled a black and white as in an old-style movie. Ruby eyes stood out against the pale background, as startling an effect as the jewel of the same color nestled into his forehead. This boy looked as lost as the dying spirits, as his gaze, too, was lowered. The regal man could be concluded important to any complete stranger, though there were none in the odd gathering. 

"You ask why I...abandoned...you so ruthlessly." He seemed smug, even through the crossed arms and disappointed glare. "I really would think it should be obvious. But I suppose it isn't. You, the two of you," and with this he gestured towards the twins of Cephiro, "have spent such time warring and arguing with another that you fail in everything else." The darker of the duo gave a random snort.

"Sentimental mush." 

A dark eyebrow lifted casually. "Maybe so. But you have no consideration for those around you. It was my world, too, my world. I was the one who let the two of you in, to scrap for control in the land that I ultimately ruled. The only reason there ever was a Pillar in Cephiro was because my own soul kept it so, and it was about to change for the better.

"But- you just had to go and ruin it, didn't you? I'm disappointed in all of you. The inhabitants of your portions of my world are weak, and they have caused their own demise, as you have yours. Now, because of your foolish mistake, and the mistakes of your humans, you can keep battling. You can have your way, and let everyone else suffer. This- these ruins, they are still my world, and you can be assured they will not falter." 

"What…what about us?" Fahren's voice was no longer angry, but laced with fright.

He found no relief, as his response was a noncommittal shrug. "What about you?" 

"You sick, twisted bastard," Earth snarled, though an unsettling smirk overtook the marring expression, "you really do only care about yourself. Well, so do I. This doesn't concern me anymore." She flipped evergreen tresses across a leather-clad shoulder, and tipping the ashes of a newly lit cigarette into the emptiness, vanished completely. "Have fun." 

Mixed emotions met her departure, a few smug, one apathetic, and several startled. 

Light Cephiro clucked softly in the back of her throat, as though to manage her voice and keep it from wavering. 

"She really has changed." And she shrugged and turned back to the group at large. Autozam asked his question then, looking much more contemplative than the other celestials. 

"So we're going to die, then?" This seemed to draw more attention than the previous speech, as it was what everything boiled down to. 

"You were never really alive, so I suppose you can't call it dying…But yes, you will fade. There is nothing more for you to do." Chizeta made a small sound behind her florescent hand, and it was impossible to tell whether she cried in sorrow or laughed in mockery.

"It will take a long time, I'm afraid." He didn't seem it at all. "There's nothing I can do about that." Ruffling the collar of his golden jacket, the man glanced about warily. "I must go, but I'm sure Mokona would love to stay with you." He nodded to the mute child at his side, and the boy that seemed a photograph stepped forward hesitantly.

The guardian gestured to the dark and light twins, once more tearing a hole in the void. "Come on, you two. There is work to do." They followed submissively, without rebellion, and very soon the dark void was solid, constant, the only wavers within it those of lost souls.

All eyes turned towards Mokona, still silent in his tinted form. Her sighed softly, suddenly, and looked to the trio with a pained crimson gaze.

"Would it help any if I tried to apologize?" 

  
  
  


End-Ish Notes: Even _that_ didn't turn out the way I had it planned. Alright, in a rushed explanation, each country or planet has a spirit. Literally. When the country is dies, the spirit dies alongside it. The only reason Cephiro itself is not fading is because the man, who we can assume is the true spirit of the "Pillar", of Cephiro, is holding it on the brink of death. I'm hoping that I can find room to explain more in later chapters, especially since everyone who's left must be looking at me virtually as if I've grown two extra heads.

And no, I don't know where Mokona fits into it. He just seemed the best way to tie things together. He and the remaining spirits might make a brief appearance in the next chapter, but I'm not sure if they will anytime after that. Which is a pity, really, as I truly enjoyed writing them. 

Hugs and kisses until next time. Threace out. xoxo 

~Eyespye


End file.
